Black students face harsher discipline according to new research

Black students in Oakland public schools face harsher discipline, miss more school, and are likelier to dropout than white males, according to new research.

The Urban Strategies Council conducted three studies analyzing data from the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). The reports examined three areas – rates of suspension, chronic absenteeism, and dropout risk – that determine the success of its students, and further analyzed the data, breaking it down by race and gender.

The results were clear.

“African American males fare worse than any other gender and ethnic population,” said Urban Strategies Council CEO Junious Williams.

The Urban Strategies Council works in partnership with the school district and the East Bay Community Foundation as part of a larger initiative – the African American Male Achievement Initiative (AAMAI). The AAMAI that aims to enable black males to achieve their full potential by reversing academic and social inequalities.

Nearly one in five students of Oakland public schools is an African American male.